This blog has been set up by Our Savior's Lutheran Church, West Bend, WI, to host postings of email updates from David and Nancy Slinde who are volunteering in El Salvador on behalf of Our Savior's, The Greater Milwaukee Synod of the ELCA, and Rotary International (among others).

David and Nancy Slinde Speaking at their "Sending Service"

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Public School Project

We returned to our latest school project on this November
visit to view the many improvements. While school ended last week, two classes were
meeting.

In this first picture, the
students were having a party to celebrate the end of 5th grade and
next door, second photo, the students were working to prepare the walls of
their classroom for painting.

These two class rooms are part of an older building where our
funders helped us to install a new roof and windows (notice them in the photo).

Since our first contact with this school in 2012, the
attendance has grown from 260 to a 2016 enrollment of 509. Testing outcomes have soared.

Our friends Leonor and Fredy have spent much time securing
resources for this school (lower picture).
As a follow-up to our day at school, we visited FEPADE. This is a
nonprofit organized by the business leaders (of El Salvador) to improve the
quality of education in El Salvador. FEPADE
is funded by Salvadoran business leaders and USAID.

In an earlier journal, we mentioned the Ministry of Education
stated that 65% of the schools are not student ready. At our meeting with Ana, she said it was much
worse.

With the funds from the business community, FEPADE has
provided regular teacher training, computers and matching funds to the money we
contribute for academic improvements. In
a nut shell, our $9,000 for starting the grades 7, 8, and 9 has been matched
with another $9,000 for academic improvements.

FEPADE is well aware of these improvements and has
challenged us to fund another classroom whereby they can establish a science
lab. This is a major opportunity for any
school.

In turn we urged Ana to connect us with a local business man
to seed our fundraising for a new classroom that is expected to cost
$8,000. We all left the meeting
accepting our responsibilities, knowing that this public school in one of the
poorest departments of the country has strong families and well trained teachers. Together the students and teachers have a
common passion for education that energizes us on every visit.